Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It and any characters from the franchise that may appear in this fanfiction are the intellectual property of J.K. Rowling. This story was written for entertainment purposes only and no profit is made from this story.

Author's note: Eternal thanks to my beta, GeekandProud (AO3) a.k.a. AnimeIsMyCrack (FF) who also made the cover image for this story.

! The first third of this chapter will be written from Draco's perspective, while the second third will be written from Hermione's perspective and the last part will be written from Deandra's perspective. I will add a small notice of this before each part by writing either DRACO or HERMIONE or DEANDRA !

DRACO

- The Quidditch Pitch, 8th of November 1993 -

Draco had honestly felt out of it after reliving Hermione's death almost two months earlier. It had been a harsh reminder of why he'd gone back in time in the first place. It wasn't so he could have fun and live a better life. It was to make sure her life would be better this time around, and that the war would not progress as it had in the first timeline.

Some of the older Slytherins had laughed at him and told him to check for Boggarts under his bed before he went to sleep after he came back from the D.A.D.A. class with Hermione and Harry in tow. The rumours of what had happened had already spread throughout the school. Great.

Hermione had sent a silent hex at one of them, extremely pissed off. He hadn't a single clue how she felt about what she'd seen, but Neville had been completely shook. Poor guy. Seeing his parents' torturer was probably not how he'd imagined the year to begin.

The stormy November day before their first quidditch match began with a letter from Director Ragnok. Draco had discreetly opened his mail on the way to the quidditch pitch and learned that Gringotts had finally been able to declare his marriage to Hermione void. Even though they were still bound, this time through a life-bond, she would be free to marry whoever she pleased. A weight fell off his shoulders, knowing that she had her freedom back.

Hermione had been extremely snappy after she came back from her dorm with Daphne and Tracey, heading to the quidditch pitch with the rest of their friends.

"What's up with 'Mione?" Draco asked as their friends came to wish them good luck one more time before heading over to the stands.

Daphne shrugged, not knowing what had gotten her friends' knickers in a twist.

Hermione's foul mood quickly became obvious to all of them as they were getting ready for the match against Hufflepuff. She even scolded Harry for not putting enough effort in the actual useful charms as she charmed his glasses against the rain, making sure he could actually see in this stormy weather.

As she stalked off to the stands, one of the older Slytherins on the team joked that "Granger must have finally gotten her period". Harry hexed him. Thank Merlin for that. Draco would've done worse.

When Cedric Diggory, the new Hufflepuff Captain, had shaken hands with them, Draco couldn't help but wonder if the fifth-year would die this time around or if he could actually set things in motion to prevent it? Well, the first would probably be to make sure Harry would not end up in that stupid Tournament. Worrying wouldn't help him any further, however. All he could do was plan and try to stay two steps ahead, even if that seemed impossible considering he was actually trying to tempt fate.

He'd definitely made some important changes. And he believed they had been for the better. Both Harry's, Hermione's, and his own friend group was bigger than last time around. Harry might have lost his close friendship to the youngest Weasley son, but he was good friends with the twins and even played the occasional game of chess with Ron nowadays. He and Ginny were still darting around each other shyly, even though everyone knew by now that they would end up together. She was even sitting in the stands right now while wearing one of his spare quidditch jerseys. Well, if that wasn't showing he liked the girl and telling the rest of Hogwarts to fuck off and find their own witch, he didn't know what was.

The storm picked up once the game started. Draco could barely see a thing as he and Blaise did their best in trying to score for their team.

At one point he saw Sirius and Amelia in the stands, both squinting up in the air. Amelia's belly was showing now that she was six months pregnant. She had taken a break as the Director of the D.M.L.E. for the next two years, claiming that she wanted to spend it with her children once they were born. A temporary replacement was found for her, and the position would be hers again if she wanted to return in two years' time.

Draco was secretly hoping she'd run for minister instead. Fudge's incompetence and his questionable decisions had already made two students end up in the Hospital Wing last week after an unfortunate encounter with a dementor. The students had been serving detention in the greenhouses and had returned to the castle later than usual. Luckily, Professor Sprout had found the two of them and had sent an official complaint to the Ministry.

The longer the quidditch game went on, the colder it got. Draco blamed it on the storm at first, but then he remembered that Harry had ended up in the hospital wing the last time around. Of course. He'd nearly forgotten this was the first quidditch game of the season, and therefore, Harry would of course suffer from some sort of attack. Bloody hell, this was getting tiresome. That boy was a magnet for danger if he'd ever seen one.

Deandra also sighed mentally and swore that there was a curse on the first quidditch match of the year. This was the third time in a row.

Right as she finished her thought, Lee Jordan announced Hufflepuff the winners.

Draco shot off as he saw Harry crashing down through the clouds, his broom fuck knows where.

Blaise had also seen their friend and was flying over to catch him in case no one in the stands would be able to slow his fall.

Luckily, Dumbledore's age had not affected his eyesight as much as it might have, and he stopped Harry's tumble down to earth. Draco plucked Harry's body out of the air and slowly flew down with his best friend in his arms. This was getting all too familiar.

Once they got to the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey gave them another scolding for ending up here at the beginning of every year.

Hermione and Daphne came a while later to check in on Harry. His core had been drained completely thanks to the dementors sucking the happiness out of him, and he'd also twisted one of his shoulders during the fall. He'd be alright after a good night's sleep.

The Slytherins talked together for a bit, and when Blaise left to finally get out of his quidditch clothes and shower, Cedric Diggory walked in, greeting the three remaining Slytherins.

"I just came to see how Harry was doing." He smiled politely. "If the Dementors weren't there, he would've gotten the snitch and you would have won the match. I figured the least I could do was to go and find his broom, but I wasn't fast enough… The Whomping Willow got to it first." He cringed, showing the pieces of Harry's new firebolt as the broom had been whacked to pieces.

"Don't worry," Daphne said, patting the Hufflepuff's shoulder, seeing the remorse on his face. The Puffs were always too noble for their own good. "Harry has more than one broom, and his godfather will probably buy him another one for Christmas. You don't want to know how often I've had to sit and listen to these idiots go off about how you can't be a proper quidditch player without the appropriate gear." She joked, trying to make the Hufflepuff feel more comfortable.

Cedric laughed at that, no longer worried. "Sounds like a true professional, miss-"

The Hufflepuff suddenly realised he hadn't even introduced himself. "I apologise for not properly introducing myself to you two." He put the broken broom on the ground, Madam Pomfrey vanishing it away to their dorms as she quickly came to check on Harry.

"Cedric Diggory, Hufflepuff quidditch Captain and Prefect for Hufflepuff house." He introduced himself, shaking Hermione's hand. She greeted him with a small courtesy, trained in wizarding etiquette thanks to her classes and reading during summer, catching Cedric off guard. "Forgive my misunderstanding, Miss Dagworth-Granger," he said as he touched his lips to her hand. "I heard you grew up not knowing of magic, so I assumed…"

"That's alright." Hermione waved him off, blushing at the handsome older boy. "Lady Malfoy and Lord and Lady Black have seen to it that I understand wizarding customs."

Cedric nodded in understanding and took Daphne's hand in his, pressing his lips to her hand. The blush on Daphne's face was even more obvious as she barely stammered a hello while she curtsied.

"Greengrass?" Cedric asked. "I believe my father and yours have worked together on a law they are planning to present to the Wizengamot." He smiled.

As the two started to talk about politics excitedly, both of them the heirs to their house, Hermione had clearly zoned out. She was sitting in the chair closest to Harry and staring distractedly at her best friend, a frown edged on her face.

"You alright?" Draco whispered as he got closer, crouching down behind the chair she was sitting in and leaning his head on her shoulder.

She almost jumped up in surprise when he touched her, snapping her out of her own thoughts.

Mhm. Curious. Even if their marriage vow had been annulled by the goblins earlier that day, it was still so easy for him to feel her magic. To feel her sadness.

" Did something happen ?" He inquired, speaking to her in her mind. " You've seemed off all day ."

She sighed and tilted her head slightly so it could rest on his. "I'm sorry. I just- I… It doesn't matter. I'm having a bad day, I guess. And then all this with Harry… Why is it always him?"

"Perhaps it's the prophecy," he suggested. "If he wants to beat Voldemort, he needs to be powerful, right? He needs to gain "the power he knows not". Perhaps this is magic's way of making him stronger? Making him into the one that could actually defeat the Dark Lord by throwing so much hardship his way? Or… He's just really unlucky."

A frustrated sigh left her. "Could magic please just give us one year where we don't need to worry? Honestly, that would be fucking lovely ."

He blinked. Hermione never used profanities. She must be really annoyed if she let that one slip.

"Language, Miss Dagworth-Granger," he whispered. "Five points from Slytherin."

For the first time that day, Hermione smiled. "Aiming to be a prefect, are you, Mr. Malfoy?"

He smirked. "If you are planning on becoming Head Girl, someone needs to keep you in check. Who better than me? The Head Boy?"

She shook her head laughing, her hair tickling his face. He wondered what it would be like to spend their evenings doing rounds together, engaging in conversations on various topics. She was the only one that could match his intellect, that could challenge him and keep him on his toes. Sometimes, he wished he had more time with her alone, to truly get to know this Hermione. But, as he'd promised, he'd let her be free. He'd let her choose who she spent her time with or not.

Harry must've woken up at some point, as he was groggily staring at his friends, grinning.

"Draco. Could you start the betting pool for me? I'm putting ten galleons on Yule," he inquired, confusing Hermione.

"Another betting pool? Why? Who did you set your eyes on now?" Draco blinked.

All Harry did was look knowingly at the Hufflepuff and Slytherin who had slowly but surely started moving closer as they had been talking.

The blond grinned back at his best friend. "Twenty galleons says by the end of the year." He answered.

"Forty, by the end of the school year ." Harry answered, still grinning as he put his head back down and fell into a deep sleep to restore his magic.

HERMIONE

- The Slytherin Dorms, 8th of November 1993 -

Hermione slipped out of her bed, casting a silencing charm around her so she wouldn't wake up any of her fellow Slytherins. She needed some time to think after what had happened today. There was only one place in the castle that allowed her to do so. The Astronomy Tower.

Having snuck into the boys' dorm earlier that evening while they were still in the Great Hall, she'd taken Harry's cloak and map while he was still knocked out cold in the Hospital Wing. She hugged the invisibility cloak tightly around her, the magical fabric warming her up as she was about to thread out into the cold Hogwarts Hallways.

Who would have known that when Harry had told her that she could always lend the cloak and the map if she needed to, that she would actually end up using it to break the rules. Hermione Granger was walking through the halls after curfew while a mass-murderer was on the loose, and a bunch of Dementors were hanging around the castle.

True, this might not have been her best idea, but she needed to get out. The whole day she'd spent worrying about Harry, instead of coming to terms with what had happened to her earlier that morning.

The letter she'd received from Director Ragnok was still in her pocket. When the brown barn owl had delivered the mail during breakfast, she'd almost laughed out loud. There it was. The thing she'd feared the most was lying right in front of her on the table. Yet, none of her friends had seemed to notice the wax seal from the Goblin bank on the bottom. She'd quickly put it in her robes, none of them the wiser, and had quietly read it once she'd reached her dorm.

Lost in thoughts, Hermione had to jump to the side suddenly to dodge two Ravenclaws who came out of a broom closet on her way to the Astronomy Tower. Other than that her trek up the stairs was a quiet one. She could immediately feel the chill reach her feet and was eternally grateful for the cloak's magical properties that were keeping her warm as she walked to the balcony.

After the storm had literally blown away, it had left a beautiful starry night sky. She absentmindedly looked up at the stars and constellations and found the one she'd always felt most at peace with. Draco .

In the beginning, when she'd just learnt of the connection between her and Draco, she thought she would feel it when the bond was broken. That somewhere, a part of her would notice there was a missing piece as his magic left hers. Yet, nothing had happened. Her magic felt the same as always. She hadn't felt a single thing. If the letter hadn't arrived in the mail that morning, she would have never known the bond had been broken. Would that mean that if she hadn't seen the tapestry at the Manor during summer, she would have never known it had even existed? That it had been real ?

These thoughts had her in quite the conundrum all day long. Two things had become apparent to her, even if she would need to do more research to see if what she thought was actually true.

The first, was that the bond was never meant to exist. Somewhere down the line, magic had seen a mistake had been made, and had weakened the strength of the bond. Had they truly been compatible, she would have felt empty when she lost him. That's at least what the books she'd read on marriage vows said. Breaking a marriage bond was nearly impossible unless there was some sort of clause in the marriage vows. The fact that the goblins had succeeded, must have meant there was something they could latch on to in order to break it. There was something in it that made it weak . Vulnerable . Again, supporting her claim that it wasn't meant to be.

The second thought that had come to her later in the day, when they were all sitting around Harry's hospital bed, was that it had never been the bond that had made Draco and her so close. When he put his head onto her shoulder, it still felt exactly the same, surprising her. She thought it would feel different once the bond was gone. That she would feel different. Yet, it was still as easy to dart into his mind with her own thoughts, or to see where he was just by feeling his magic. She hadn't lost him for a single second during that storm, just because she could feel him flying around the pitch during the quidditch match. Actually, when she really focused, she could swear that she could still feel some sort of thread between them. But that was probably just a fidget of her imagination. After all, Ragnok had confirmed that she was now free to pursue any relationship and marry whoever she wished.

She snorted out loud. Would being married to her best friend really have been that bad? Her parents had been best friends before they fell in love. It seemed to her like friendship was a strong foundation for any relationship, really.

Looking at the letter one last time, she decided she never wanted to see the damned thing again.

She let it fall from her hands, the wind carrying it away before she whispered an Incendio, seemingly turning it into a sky lantern before it burned up completely. Good riddance.

Hermione knew she should be heading back to her dorm, but she didn't want to leave just yet. She had trouble sleeping lately, ever since she saw… She shook her head, trying to get rid of the image.

"Are you alright, little one?"

The Slytherin jumped in surprise and held out her wand, aiming it at the entrance to the tower, only to be greeted by a familiar silver hue, looking at her worriedly. Deandra's silver hair was straight and shiny as always, but tonight it seemed she had opted for dark Slytherin green robes. In her arms, was Hermione's familiar. Crooks . He must've been worried when he saw his mistress leave the dorms during the night.

"Deandra," she breathed out, pocketing her wand again. "It's been far too long. I almost forgot how beautiful you were."

The spirit laughed, the angelic sound echoing across the grounds. Hermione swore she could hear Fang bark in the distance.

Crookshanks jumped down from the spirit's arms and ran over to her, gliding between her legs and forming the figure eight between them, meowing at her in greeting.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Miss Granger. What are you doing here so late, and all by yourself for that matter? Even Crookshanks was worried." Deandra said as the half-kneazle jumped up to the balcony, flicking his tail left and right before he got scratched behind his ears by the ancient spirit.

Hermione bit her lip nervously. She couldn't tell the spirit what had really been going on. Hell, she was probably the one who had hidden her name on the family tapestry in the first place now that she thought about it. She had to remember that, even if she was technically a part of the Malfoy family, Draco was the heir . Deandra was bound to him, not to her. The spirit bound to the leylines would do anything for him, that much was for certain. Yet, she trusted the spirit unconditionally. So, instead, she decided to share her other worry with her.

"I have trouble sleeping," she confessed. "Ever since I saw… You know, a crazy death eater killing a woman that looked suspiciously like me."

The spirit tilted her head sadly and rested her hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "Are you scared that Draco's fear will come true one day?"

"Yes," Hermione answered truthfully. "Is that what he will look like, if I die? If Voldemort really does return?"

Deandra seemed to be taken aback by her confession. "Hermione, do you mean to say that you're more worried about what it will do to him ? Instead of being worried about actually dying?"

She nodded. "I won't remember once I'm dead. If I have to die, one day, then dying to protect my friends does not seem like the worst way to go. Even if I would rather grow old with the lot of them. But yes, I'm mostly worried of what it will do to him. To Harry. To Daphne. To my mum and dad. Draco looked like a ghost of himself. Harry wasn't looking too good either when he realised it was an older version of me that the Boggart was slowly torturing and killing."

They stood quietly for a while, both lost in thought, as they saw some dementors in the distance, gliding over the Black Lake and leaving a frozen trail in their wake.

Hermione shivered. "Is that what he fears the most? That because of the family he was born into, his friends will end up dying? That he will turn into one of them? That he's destined to become a death eater?"

"It is," Deandra solemnly agreed. "But I'm here to protect him. I'm here to protect all of you. So, I can promise you now, that I will do my best to never let anything happen to you, or to Draco and Harry."

Crookshanks meowed in agreement, almost as if he too had decided that no one would be hurt on his watch.

"I know you will protect us," Hermione smiled at Deandra while she scratched Crookshanks under his chin. "That's why you're here after all. In Britain I mean. You're here because of the prophecy."

"I'm glad you remember that story that I showed you in your dreams." Deandra said. "I also remember you swearing you would do anything to protect the boys right after you woke up that morning."

The Slytherin sighed deeply and nodded. "I would. They are my best friends. I wasn't sure at first, since your prophecy spoke of 'children of prophecy'. But there is only one dragon child in the Malfoy family. And there is only one other child that is bound by a prophecy. I really picked out the best of the bunch didn't I, when I ran into Draco at Flourish and Blotts that day?" She chuckled.

"That you did. The boys are definitely a piece of work." Deandra agreed, laughing. "Now, let's get you back inside. I don't like these dementors hanging around here. They are beings born out of despair, and I wouldn't want any of them to hurt you, little one."

"Can we stay just a little while longer?" Hermione asked. "As long as you're with me, nothing bad can happen, right?"

The spirit reluctantly obliged but understood Hermione's need for some peace and quiet. The two of them and Crookshanks stared at the starry night sky peacefully for a few more minutes, until Hermione spoke up again.

"You know, whenever I look at the stars, I always look for the dragon first. I can't remember when I started doing it. But it always makes me feel less lonely. As if there's someone else out there, watching me. Protecting me." The Slytherin witch shook her head and laughed, taking Crookshanks into her arms, cuddling him closer to her. "You must think I sound crazy, finding peace in looking at the stars. Thinking it holds some sort of promise. Maybe I should head off to bed, like you said. Goodnight, Deandra."

DEANDRA

"Goodnight, little one." The spirit whispered, a frown etched on her face as she watched Hermione tighten the invisibility cloak around her and Crookshanks. The magic settled over the little witch and her familiar, and the spirit of Malfoy Manor could see her no longer. Just to be sure, she followed her magic until she had safely reached the Dungeons once more. Good. She was safe.

A sigh escaped her lips and she tightly grabbed onto the edge of the balcony at the Astronomy Tower. She was unsure if she should tell Draco of what had just transpired. She didn't want to give him hope that somewhere, deep inside, his Hermione was starting to peek through in this timeline's incarnation of his wife.

"Are you wondering if she's truly remembering or if it is merely a fidget of her imagination?" A voice suddenly spoke up, making the spirit's magic flare in a defensive manner as she turned around, ready to attack the intruder. Who had just snuck up on her? No mere mortal could catch her by surprise. Was it another spirit? A ghost, perhaps?

"It's a pleasure to meet you, defender of man." The voice spoke again, a blonde barefoot girl walking out of the shadows, showing she meant no harm as she had a disarming smile plastered on her face. "Chassipullus mentioned I might encounter you if I ever wandered around Hogwarts at night."

"Miss Lovegood," Deandra smiled at the Ravenclaw in front of her. "It takes a skilled witch to creep up on me. I assume we've met before, in another possibility? Or in another life, perhaps?"

Luna tilted her head, thinking, before she smiled mischievously and offered her hand in greeting. "I believe we have indeed. Although, you would probably remember me in a different form. A different incarnation."

The spirit blinked. "We've met before? In this life?"

"We have met in this life and many others, Deandra" The witch knowingly said. "Although, as I said, you might remember a different incarnation of me. I would've thought that after thousands of years, a spirit as ancient as you would have figured out that true seers get born with the soul of a spirit, just like me. You've been cooped up in Wiltshire for far too long, my dear old friend. Although, I'm glad you followed my advice to move to Albion. You've done well so far, settling in with the Malfoy leylines and preparing for the day where you would have to raise the dragon child and protect his chosen friends."

Had Luna just cited the prophecy? Mentioned Albion? That could only mean…

" Pythia ?" Deandra asked incredulously. "But how ?"

"In order to truly see, one must live a thousand lives." Luna mysteriously said. "To answer your other question, Hermione will remember what transpired in the other timeline. But only if Draco decides to let her swim in a sea of time. I did tell him last year that he should take her to a sandy beach, but he never really thought I was being serious."

"Everyone knows that a seer's prophecies hold truth, but they should never be taken literally ." Deandra answered, raising an eyebrow at the witch inquisitively.

"Shouldn't they?" Luna smiled knowingly. "Did you not get released from within the walls of Malfoy Manor after Hermione broke the charm filled with blood magic Draco had given her? A blood-red stone ? Trust me. As long as Draco decides to give her some time, and finds her a place with a lot of sand, as I told him to do, might I add, Hermione will remember who she was."

"You're certain?" Deandra asked hopefully. "She will remember?"

"As long as he doesn't stray from the light, and decides to stay by death's side, she will." Luna promised, throwing another curveball at Deandra. "Hermione will remember when she finds herself in a desert of time, between love and death."

"What is that supposed to mean?" The spirit questioned. And how did it make any sense that Draco could not stray from the light, yet had to be close to death ? Did she mean the death eaters?

"Oh, I forgot! I was supposed to go visit the unicorns in the Forbidden Forest. You see, they invited me to witness the birth of one of their foals. It is a great honour for a human to witness such a thing. If I remember correctly, she will be born in just twenty minutes. I better hurry up!" Luna exclaimed, ignoring her questions. "I'll make sure to ask them if they could donate some blood for me, we will need it in the future!"

"Some- Luna! We both know that unicorn blood is dangerous ," Deandra answered as the Ravenclaw waved her goodbyes. "You must know what happened to Quirrell! It's foul and leads to a cursed life!"

"Not to other magical creatures it isn't. But don't worry. In the worst case, I will make sure to get some phoenix tears as well." She smiled airily, not giving any more explanation as she skipped down the stairs still barefoot.

This was definitely not how Deandra had suspected her night would go. For now, she would keep the past events to herself, however. She just hoped Draco wouldn't be too suspicious of her encouraging him to go on some beach holiday next summer…